Includes my reviews of the third issues of both Keyhole and New York Tyrant. Both also impressive literary magazines whose new issues are now out (though I've heard that Tyrant's issue 4 is already sold out, too). My review of the print issue of Juked should run sometime soon, I think.

Due possibly to space issues or the fact that I can't go without mentioning Blake Butler's work every time it's in a magazine I review (and good luck finding many literary magazines without something from Blake's brain on the pages), my mention of said work by Butler was edited away. Well, it is probably more appropriate to do the lipping and tonguing on my blog anyway. Here are comments supplemental to my review of Keyhole 3, a mock block quote:

Butler’s five pieces feature dead celebrities. Each line begins with the name of the celeb (Chris Farley, Nancy Spungen, Sharon Tate, Tupac Shakur, and Andy Kaufman) and then bends the aura of each, shifting the cultural baggage attendant to each name. For instance, “Sharon Tate died tied neck to neck with another person while 34 weeks pregnant. Sharon Tate carried black pepper between her teeth. Sharon Tate felt a balloon inflated through the volume of her California home. Sharon Tate danced across the coffee table. Sharon Tate could not sign her name without a buzzing in her knees. Sharon Tate took the dictionary home from the dinner party and found its pages blank.” The repetition of the names eventually blurs them outside of themselves in the same way any word repeated enough begins to sound strange. Eventually the names are cut loose and become entirely different characters.

Since space really is limited for the lit mag reviews, I'm thinking about posting supplemental review fragments here. A lot of the issues have so much strong work or a few particular pieces that I want to spend more time on that 500 or even a bloated 700 word review just isn't enough. Maybe that's what I'll do. I don't know.

ryan, agreed. we should start a blog called the blake butler review. maybe the big houses will see that blake has a loyal reading audience and publish his books, which need to be out in the world. yes.

when i think about blake butler i dream of hearts exploding the desert horizon, of cotton candy slow kiss and butterscotch prostate massage, of holding hands and nestling close to his chest with my head and feeling safe.

About Me

My writing has been published or is forthcoming in New York Tyrant, elimae, Phoebe, Apostrophe Cast, Keyhole Magazine, Lamination Colony, Action Yes, Word Riot, Barrelhouse, Opium, and elsewhere.
I review books and literary magazines and am a member of the National Book Critics Circle.
I can be contacted at joshmaday [at] gmail.com.